Day: April 24, 2024

Lazare Grigoriadis, 22, was released from prison on April 24 after President Zurabishvili officially signed the letter of pardon.

Grigoriadis was sentenced to nine years in prison on April 12 on charges of arson of the police vehicle during the March 2023 protests. President Zurabishvili promised to pardon him on the same day, quoting insufficient evidence in the case that many rights defenders considered politically motivated.

Judge Zviad Sharadze, citing a heavy workload in the case, nearly ran out the clock on the 14-day limit on delivery of the court’s verdict, which was only made available today.

In his first comments to reporters after his release, Lazare announced his intention to join the ongoing demonstrations against the foreign agents law. He plans to attend today’s protest.

Grigoriadis, 22, was sentenced on charges of harming the health of a police officer under Part 2 of Article 353 Prima of the Criminal Code and destroying state property under Part 2 of Article 187 of the Criminal Code. Grigoriadis was arrested weeks after the 2023 March 7-9 protests against the so-called Foreign Agents Law. The arrest was viewed as controversial and sparked peaceful protests, as it was viewed as a retribution of the system against youth and civic activists who took part in the March protests. His lawyers and defenders argued that Grigoriadis was innocent and was typecast for his appearance to fit the description of the “satanist” and “disoriented” youth that the ruling party leadership vilified after the protests.

sanctions against Ivanishvili

During the plenary session on April 22, the European Parliament discussed the “foreign agents” bill and the violent dispersal of a peaceful demonstration in the capital of Georgia. Various groups of European parliamentarians prepared draft resolutions demanding sanctions be imposed against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the oligarch and founder of the ruling party “Georgian Dream,” Georgian deputies who voted for the bill, and high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

During the same session, some members of the European Parliament demanded the release of former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili from prison.

The vote on the resolutions will take place on April 25th.

Reactions

European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič called on the Georgian government to withdraw the bill.

According to member of the European Parliament Michael Gahler, if we talk about “foreign agents,” then the only foreign agents in the ruling party are those who copy Russian laws and promote Russian-style governance, “possibly even on behalf of Russia.”

Referring to prime minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze’s planned visit to Hungary to attend an extremely right-wing, “anti-globalist” conference with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, Gahler said he was curious about “where this country and ruling party are heading.”

“We once again urge the European Council to impose sanctions against oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili,” said commissioner Miriam Lexmann.

However, according to MEP Sven Mikser, if the Georgian parliament adopts this bill, one should not expect Georgia to join the European Union.

• “Georgia becomes Putin’s personal cash box” – Experts on offshore law and the ongoing protests
• EU representative explains Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ law vs. EU directive

“Every time I think the ‘Georgian Dream’ has hit rock bottom, they still manage to surprise me by sinking even lower.

Because the ‘Georgian Dream’ is actually the Russian dream, and when 83 deputies openly support Russian law, it’s no longer democracy but a puppet show, with puppeteer Bidzina Ivanishvili pulling the strings.

The oligarch takes instructions from Russian masters—instructions aimed at depriving Georgia of a European future.

To please Putin, his puppets will do anything—break laws, beat people. But the Georgian people won’t stand for it. There’s a youth paving the way to Europe because they were born free.

In the fight for our European future, we stand with the brave Georgians!” — stated European parliamentarian Viola von Cramon.

Viola von Cramon

European Parliamentarian from the Czech Republic, Marketa Gregorova, stated that Georgian citizens continue to face repression, now at the hands of Special Forces commander Zviad Kharazishvili.

Her Lithuanian colleague, Petras Auštrevičius, called on EU institutions to “impose sanctions against Georgian citizens who obstruct democratic processes and organize the persecution of peaceful demonstrators, in particular against Zviad Kharabashvili and Vazha Siradze.”

Причина ареста замминистра обороны Тимура Иванова — госизмена – GS https://t.co/l8hkG8tjff – https://t.co/QRPuk62yxC – https://t.co/ICDRfGrtrj –

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) April 24, 2024